Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia - Near-Miss Hits: ’70s Edition episode artwork

EPISODE · May 30, 2026 · 35 MIN

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia - Near-Miss Hits: ’70s Edition

from Slate Culture Feed

In 1979, Sister Sledge changed the sound of wedding receptions forever with “We Are Family.” Believe it or not, the Chic-penned banger never made it to No. 1. Steely Dan helped invent Yacht Rock with 1977’s jazzy bop “Peg.” (They would have loved it better if it had cracked the Top 10.) And in 1972, Elton John told a timeless tale of a blue-jean baby, “Tiny Dancer.” Casey Kasem never counted it down.Today on Hit Parade: Chris Molanphy celebrates “near misses”—now-ubiquitous hits that missed the mark on the pop charts, stalling out at No. 2, No. 11, or No. 41. In this episode, Chris zooms in on near-misses from the 1970s, including songs from Paul McCartney, the Spinners, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, Diana Ross, and Michael Jackson.Get more Hit Parade with Slate Plus! Join for bonus episodes of "The Bridge" and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Hit Parade show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/hitparadeplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 30, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia - Near-Miss Hits: ’70s Edition

0:00 35:32

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Slate Culture Feed?

This episode is 35 minutes long.

When was this Slate Culture Feed episode published?

This episode was published on May 30, 2026.

Can I download this Slate Culture Feed episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!